Here’s the truth: Many law firms have great difficulty marketing themselves in today’s hypercompetitive, internet-driven, borderless legal marketplace. Their approach to business development has evolved only incrementally in the last 15 to 20 years.

As legal marketers, we are often asked to help solve this problem, which can be a daunting task. Why? Because the most important marketing decisions were made long before we were invited. Often, a firm’s marketability is deeply embedded in its DNA and is related to its culture, structure and priorities.

Here’s another truth: The most marketable organizations were built to be marketed. And very few law firms can be described this way.

My Dream Client: Sharp & Savvy

So, what would a law firm look like if it were built to be marketed? It would look like Sharp & Savvy – my fictional dream client. It’s the most marketable law firm ever. Here are its key characteristics:

It’s well positioned. Sharp & Savvy has vastly reduced the number of firms that can viably compete against it. Like many well-positioned businesses, it’s focused exclusively on a single market – for instance, venture-backed technology startups. And each of its practice areas is carefully built to support its firm-wide positioning.

For example, its financing practice area has deep ties to the venture capital community. And its IP practice is focused on technology matters unique to the startup community. Why? Because the authority that comes with this type of focus is tremendous. It tells clients: “We get your industry. We live and breathe it. We’ve got a deep bench of experts to help you.”

Dion Algeri is the chief marketing strategist at Great Jakes, a company that builds next-generation websites exclusively for law firms. If you want a taste of what he’s thinking, check out the Great Jakes blog. Algeri acts as blog editor, which means that his fingerprints are on practically every piece (even if his byline isn’t).